[Insight & Opinion] The Fourth Wave Led by AI: Beyond a Technological Revolution, Toward a Human Revolution

AI: Humanity's New Companion Surpassing Human Intelligence
An Era Where Everyone Could Have an IQ of 200
Life Will Enter a Completely Different Dimension

Forty-five years ago, futurist Alvin Toffler predicted the Third Wave. Now, the Fourth Wave is sweeping toward humanity, driven by AI technology. Fortunately, all four of these waves have brought far greater benefits to humanity than harm. While the waves of agriculturalization, industrialization, and informatization were remarkable, the Fourth Wave led by AI is expected to be faster, larger, and fundamentally different.

First, in terms of speed. It took thousands of years for the First Wave, agriculturalization, to become established. Industrialization required hundreds of years, and the Third Wave, informatization, unfolded over the past several decades. The contours of each of these waves are clear in hindsight. In contrast, since the emergence of generative AI at the end of 2022, the development of AI technology has advanced at the speed of light, making it difficult to predict its ultimate form. It seems certain that AI will become the most rapidly spreading general-purpose technology in human history.

Second, in terms of scale. AI is a general-purpose technology, like writing, electricity, the telephone, computers, and the internet. AI will likely become a technology even more versatile and useful than any previous general-purpose technology created by humanity. It incorporates and integrates the outstanding functions of countless existing general-purpose technologies, making it even more powerful. Moreover, it communicates using human language, just like us. That is not all. AI has learned virtually all human knowledge and continues to grow by thinking and learning independently. It takes the initiative to judge, decide, solve problems, and generate solutions and ideas. The results it produces are by no means inferior to those created by humans; in fact, they are often much better. Tasks that once took people days or months can be accomplished by AI in an instant. It is on par with the genie from Aladdin's lamp.

Third, in terms of difference. AI is, in a word, a mysterious alien intelligence with outstanding general-purpose capabilities. Until now, we believed that intelligence and intellect were unique to humanity. Thanks to these qualities, humans have held the position of rulers of all living things for hundreds of thousands of years. However, humanity has recently created an alien intelligence far superior to itself. We have ushered in the possibility of creating superintelligence and superintellect whose potential is beyond our imagination. Thanks to this alien intelligence called AI, humanity can now transcend the limits of human intelligence and mind, and leap into a new dimension. We are entering an era where every human could potentially have an IQ of over 200.

Moreover, this alien intelligence will soon appear in large numbers in forms indistinguishable from humans: AI humanoid robots. When this happens, humanity will experience yet another great transformation. Armed with AI and closely resembling humans, these artificial beings will use human language and surpass humans in many ways, becoming an entirely new species of human. Although they are not from outer space, they will live among us as extraordinary aliens. Our lives?living as family, friends, colleagues, and customers with super-intelligent alien AI humanoid robots?will be on a completely different level from anything humanity has experienced so far.

Given these prospects, the Fourth Wave that AI technology will bring to humanity will not be merely a technological revolution. It is highly likely to become the first true human revolution in history. The fact that we are entering an era of genuine human revolution, following the agricultural, industrial, and information revolutions, is the truth hidden behind the technological and AI revolutions.

Kim Hyungon, Visiting Professor at Chungnam National University Graduate School of National Policy and former President of the National Assembly Futures Institute